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Welcome Vote On Energy Efficiency

Alyn Smith, SNP MEP and sole Scots member of the European Parliament's Energy Committee, has welcomed a vote on energy efficiency legislation.

The committee has endorsed a deal which includes a number of crucial measures that will deliver concrete energy savings in a bid to meet the EU's energy goals for 2020.

Alyn said:

"It's easy to set targets, but we must ensure that we actually meet them, and so I was pleased to see this deal which brings us a step closer to enacting essential legislation. Not only will this give a boost to Europe's economy and help achieve our energy security but it contributes towards our climate goals.

"The new Energy Efficiency Directive enshrines the EU's 20 per cent energy savings target in a legal framework to meet our targets for 2020. However, its clear more action is needed if we are to close this gap. Member States will be responsible for setting out a roadmap for achieving energy savings, and energy companies will be tasked with delivering annual savings across all end-use sectors.

"While this boost in the legislation represents a major step forward for EU climate policy, more could be done. We need to address the problems with the emissions trading scheme. The carbon market is clearly in need of regulative intervention in order to address the oversupply of emissions permits and the resulting excessively low carbon price. I hope the Commission comes forward with proposals to limit the upcoming emissions permits. The sooner this is achieved, the better."